It is known to manufacture cylinder blocks for an internal combustion engines with cast-in-place cylinder liners in order to provide the walls of the piston cylinder chambers with a wear-resistant surface. This is particularly common when casting aluminum cylinder blocks.
The liners are typically supported on a decomposable sand-type core within a casting cavity of a cylinder block casting mold and with the outer surface of the liners exposed for cast-in-place joinder with the cylinder block. It is important that the liners be properly positioned in the mold and remain positioned during casting. However, since the liners are supported either vertically in the mold or in a V-type angular orientation, there is a tendency for the liners to slide downwardly on the cores during casting as a result of the liners heating and expanding in diameter relative to the inner sand core.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,003,422 to Schramm et al, granted Jan. 18, 1976 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,252,175 to Whipple, granted Feb. 24, 1981 disclose a casting core construction in which portions of the inner sand core extend through an opening or passageway in the wall of the liner which effectively keys the liner against axial movement on the core. Such cores are either assembled in parts within the liner member or else formed in-situ with the liner member. Both of these patents, however, require that the liner be formed with a passageway or hole in the wall of the liner, as may be permissible in the manufacture of small two stroke engines but would not be suitable for use in most four stroke internal combustion engines, which require liners with continuous walls.